


Insomnia

by sardonyx164



Series: Operation Domiciliate (Discordant Opponents Must Ignore Conflict Lest Infinity Arranges Terrible Execution) [8]
Category: Codename: Kids Next Door
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Food, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 08:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24348277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sardonyx164/pseuds/sardonyx164
Summary: Chad and Nigel can't get to sleep.
Relationships: Nigel Uno & Chad Dickson
Series: Operation Domiciliate (Discordant Opponents Must Ignore Conflict Lest Infinity Arranges Terrible Execution) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730308
Kudos: 6
Collections: Operation Friend





	Insomnia

_[Scene: the living room at night. Chad is absentmindedly channel surfing]_

**Chad:** (Just watch some TV, Chad, just watch some TV. Maybe then you can take your mind off of this... ** _situation_**...!)

_[Chad keeps channel surfing, but no matter how many channels he flips through, he only ever sees programs about the sun. Chad gets more and more frustrated until he just turns the TV off]_

**Chad:** Well, _that_ didn’t work. Maybe some food will help me?

_[Chad heads for the kitchen and looks through the fridge...]_

**Nigel:** [tiredly yet angrily] Chad, what are you doing?

_[...but jumps a bit when he hears Nigel’s voice. The teen turns around to see that Nigel is crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently]_

**Nigel** : Are you just going to stand there all night and let us freeze to death faster by leaving the fridge open? Or are you actually going to talk to me?

 **Chad:** [rolling his eyes] For your information, _brat,_ I was trying to take my mind off of... _us living here!_ [growling and slamming the fridge door shut] I’m just... _so ticked off_ at the thought of getting thrown into the sun along with you if we don’t fix our relationship within ten days! [looking through the drawers] I mean, hello!? You can’t expect to fix a relationship within **ten days!**

 **Nigel:** Hey, this is your fault, you know! _You’re_ the one who betrayed the Kids Next Door!

 **Chad:** Look, you idiot! I told you that I was stopping Cree from doing the same thing! Or did you forget because you’re just _that_ stupid?! [he picks out some snacks and then slams the drawer shut] Now if you don’t mind, I need to eat some snacks because I’m _starving!_

 **Nigel:** [growling and turning red from rage] I hope you get a sick stomach from eating it all!

 **Chad:** [heading for the front door] I hope _you_ get nightmares, you jerk!

_[Chad walks outside and slams the door shut. The teen mutters to himself as he sits on the front steps to the house, but quickly calms down as he casts his gaze at the starry sky]_

**Chad:** Huh. This is actually...quite nice. [eating some chips] Why didn’t I do this earlier...? [shivering a bit] Ah, I don’t care about the cold. [he slowly smiles] The cold is relaxing, too...

_[Chad keeps eating his snacks as he stares out into space. He gasps and coughs out his food when he hears Nigel’s voice again]_

**Nigel:** Can I, uh, sit next to you?

 **Chad:** No, you cannot sit next to me! You startled me twice tonight!

 **Nigel:** Oh, don’t be so petty, teenager! At least let me stay out here!

 **Chad:** [sighs]...Fine. What do you want, kid?

 **Nigel:** Well, I _tried_ to watch television to get my mind off this situation, but _all_ of the channels were talking about the sun!

 **Chad:** [bitterly eating his second snack] Yeah, I _know._

 **Nigel:** And you know what else?! I’m too scared to go to sleep because I’m worried that I’ll just miss the deadline and get incinerated without my knowledge!

 **Chad:** Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem, then! You managed to stay up for _six whole days_ because you _stupidly_ thought that your treehouse’s defence system was flawed!

 **Nigel:** Hey, I was just protecting my friends!

 **Chad:**...Whatever.

 **Nigel:** [yawns] I’m not done talking to you, _teenager_! I have something else to say to...[rubbing his eyes]...you...

 **Chad:** [raising an eyebrow]...Then go ahead and say it.

 **Nigel:** [quietly]...No, never mind. [heading back inside] It’s nothing.

 **Chad:** [grabbing Nigel by the wrist] Come on, kid. Say what’s on your mind.

 **Nigel:** [sadly] Fine. You’re, uh, going to get sick if you keep neglecting your health.

 **Chad:** What do you mean?

 **Nigel:** Well, you just...[glancing at the snacks on the ground]...shouldn’t be eating so many snacks—um, I mean... I’m glad that you decided to step out of the house for a bit. I’m even happier that we have this whole moon to run around on...

 **Chad:** What are you implying...?

 **Nigel:**...Nothing.

 **Chad:** [pulling Nigel into his lap] Um, hey, kid. Don’t just say something and then bail out of it. What were you going to say?

 **Nigel:** [twiddling his fingers] Well, see, the thing is... I just want you to take better care of yourself, that’s all. You, uh, should start by fixing your obsession with snacks. Now I’m...not saying you should stop eating snacks altogether, but...at least stop eating so much in one sitting. I won’t have any snacks for myself, and...[tearing up]...I don’t want to see you get horribly sick...

 **Chad:** [wiping Nigel’s tears]...I didn’t know you were a nurse, kid.

 **Nigel:** I’m not. [sniffs] Chad, I don’t mean to be overbearing or melodramatic or anything, but...I care for you a lot. I never stopped thinking about you, even after you betrayed us. [his voice breaks] You’re close to my heart, and you always will be. That’s why I’m terrified of...of...!

 **Chad:** [gently rocking Nigel] Ssh, ssh. You don’t have to say anything else. [giving Nigel a gentle squeeze] Thank you for looking after me. You’re a great kid, Uno. [yawns] Hey, can we continue talking about this some other time? I’m finally starting to get sleepy.

 **Nigel:** Can I join you?

 **Chad:** [badly imitating Nigel] “Uh, can I join you?” [chuckling] Don’t be stupid! Of course you can join me! What, is staying here destroying your brain cells or something?

 **Nigel:** Um, actually...[yawns]... nerve cells can be destroyed by staying in--

 **Chad** : [cradling Nigel and carrying him inside] Hey, save the lecture for tomorrow, alright? We need to get some sleep right now.

 **Nigel:** [groggily] Alright.

_[Chad carries Nigel to the couch. The teen then lies down and holds Nigel close to his chest. Nigel happily snuggles closer as he listens to Chad’s heartbeat]_

**Chad:** You listen up, Nigel. We’re both going to get through this. [yawns] We are _**far**_ too stubborn to just fall into hatred and despair, understand?

 **Nigel:** [slowly closing his eyes] Understand.

 **Chad:** [rubbing Nigel’s back] Good. [slowly closing his eyes] Glad you get it, Nigel. [kissing Nigel’s temple] My number one operative...

End

**Author's Note:**

> ...What?  
> Just because Nigel and Chad had a few heart to heart conversations, that doesn't mean their relationship is instantly fixed.  
> Like...I want these two to get along in canon, sure.  
> But I know that their issues won't just go away after a few speeches. They will still be bickering with each other, especially in high stress situations.
> 
> Oh, and also? Nigel isn't kidding when he says that staying in space for too long can destroy brain cells:  
> https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/mars-astronauts-risk-brain-damage-from-cosmic-rays-1.3061577
> 
> Thankfully, Nigel and Chad are fictional characters who have been to space before, so they're not going to suffer from any ill effects. (Well, except for the whole insomnia and anxiety and homesickness thing...)
> 
> Relevant links:  
> https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/insomnia-causes-and-cures.htm
> 
> https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/what-causes-insomnia
> 
> https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/cant-sleep.html
> 
> https://www.behavioralsleep.org/index.php/sbsm/about-childhood-sleep-disorders/childhood-insomnia


End file.
